SCHOOL UNIONS SATISFIED WITH STRIKE TURN OUT

( Editorial: --> 5534 ) ZAGREB, May 21 (Hina) - Croatian Teachers' Union (SHU) and Independent Union of Employees in Croatian High Schools expressed satisfaction with the response of members and employees at yesterday's strike of warning. Leaders from two school unions told a press conference Thursday that 82 per cent of SHU members and almost 100 per cent of Independent High School Union members attended the strike. Out of the total of about 37,000 employed in primary schools, 24,801, of which 190600 are members of SHU, attended the strike yesterday, the SHU president, Dalimir Kuba, said. Vesna Kanizaj, president of the Independent High Schools' Union, added that from the 16,800 employed in high schools, 12,640 were out on strike, out of which 12,000 are union members. The unionists said they are prepared for talks with the Croatian government, in order for the collective labour dispute to be overcome and for the collective agreement annex stipulating an increase of salaries by 12.5 per cent to be signed. On the contrary, the unions will decide by the end of this week on further actions, this time of several days duration. Kuba denied claims in the media on salary increases by 29 per cent by the end of the year. Salaries will increase by 11.7 per cent, but the basic teacher's salary will reach US$200 at the end of the year, Kuba said. He added that salaries in schools will not, even at the end of this year, reach the average Croatian salary from 1997. The unions view as inappropriate that the Croatian government used as a reason for not signing the annex the opposition of two other 'minor' unions, as they put it. They are not even signatories to the collective agreement for primary and high schools, Kuba said. Education Minister Bozidar Pugelnik at Thursday's government session said that during the strike on Wednesday, 780 Croatian schools worked, while 407 did not. (hina) dgr/lm 211635 MET may 98